I'm sick of walking slow!

Was going over to Laura's, my sweet colleague at work, as she generously invited me over to eat traditional Romanian food at her new house. Turns out the train the banlieue was not working at normal hours, as boxing day (i.e. the day after xmas) is considered to be a holiday. So, to pass away the time while waiting for the last and only train out of the city, I checked out boxing day madness downtown.

I remember one of my first visits to Montreal before I moved here. The fam went boxing day shopping. There were so many people at the McGill metro that I could literally jump up and be suspended in the air, carried away by my neighbouring strangers along the crowd flow.



This time it was no different! I took this video of the crowds on Ste Catherine by Simon's using my cell phone. I guess this is the quality expected for a phone video. I didn't realise that you couldn't rotate the image on video, so it's on the side! Hilarious! Grown men were getting plowed over by old ladies in the hustle and bustle! The funniest thing was overhearing another guy saying, quote, "I'm sick of walking slow!". Ah... I know that feeling!

Do you appreciate the humour in this situation? Hahahahha!

Merry Xmas to you!

Christmas just came flying in! With the chaos of my parents staying at my place and my grandma still in the hospital, and me working until almost xmas eve, it was c-r-a-z-y! But fun! Mom, Dad, Lisa, James and I did our best to celebrate this supposedly joyous time of the year together (Grandma and Aunty Pat decided it would be better to celebrate together at their place another evening).

This year, I oh-so-gladly volunteered to be in charge of the xmas dinner, which would be held at my new pad. This is the first time in our family history that Mom didn't have to do the (cooking) work! (Mom, of course, did well being Santa Claus). It's a good thing she didn't have to cook because she wasn't feeling so hot this year. The poor woman was in bed most of the day but mustered up enough energy to peep her head out of the bedroom for present-opening (btw, if your wondering, there are no pics of Mom here at her request).

I admit I was nervous cooking a whole friggin' turkey for the first time. Everyone in my family has different tastes and it's hard to please them all! I stubbornly went to the butcher's to get a fresh (as opposed to frozen) bird that I soaked in brine overnight. The trip to the butcher two days before xmas was a riot! There were people knocking eachother over for gourmet cheeses and spicy sausages! What a wonderful place though! I've been looking for a place to buy meat other than the chain supermarkets. This is a consequence of hanging around Mr Vegetarian Andi, whose made me more conscious of where my meat comes from.

Anyhoo, I'm super happy to admit that it turned out not disastrous. I went for the whole deal, with plenty of side dishes and 3 choices of desserts. I even attempted to make pumpkin pie, not realising that this is a dessert for thanksgiving and not xmas. So, folks, take note that pumpkin is extremely difficult to find in the stores in the month of December! Even the canned stuff!

Santa was nice to everyone this year :) As a general rule, I say screw the commercial aspect of xmas (for the past 3 years, I made my gifts by hand). Yet on the flipside, I still love receiving gifts that people take the thought and time to get me. I got a Gotan CD, a bluetooth adapter (to transfer my spontaneous cell phone pics and videos to my PC at no cost so that my blog stays pretty!), a heart-warming donation to Unicef, Lisa's DVD of a season of Wonderfalls (the most amusing yet least recognized show ever) - Hooray for recycled presents!, the third XMen DVD, an awesome guide to Montreal shopping (like, where to buy anything from gourmet pencils to organic food), and $$ and off-broadway tickets for an upcoming trip to NYC! Thanks, guys! I luv you!

So, after a big (huge) meal and present opening, we chit-chatted, like a family should, while digesting the goods in an insanely hot condo (the heat runs through the walls making it a gazillion degress all the time even with the window open).

Merry xmas to all, and to all a good night!

PS - For more wonderful pics of xmas and more, snapped using Lisa's brand spankin' new camera, check out her site!

Work hard, work harder?

Holy moly. I just spent the last week working, literally, 20 hours a day on a book chapter. This involves sitting in front of the PC all frigggin' day and all friggin' night, taking quick cat-naps and mini-coffee breaks at the local Tim Horton's when necessity calls for it. I sent the quasi-final version by email and now I don't know what to do with myself with this "free time". I think a celebration is in order!

It's such a cool project! Back when I was in Switzerland for the conference in October, my French contacts (i.e. the director of the Bioencapsulation Research Group, Denis Poncelet) invited me to do a chapter on "La microencapsulation pour la thérapie cellulaire" for a book they are doing about microencapsulation. It was sooooo superflattering that they considered me to be an expert in the field considering I'm still a student! Of course I said yes, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into! A chapter is a hell of a lot of work.... Phew! And, to add to the mountain of work, I had to do it in French! Well, thankfully, I had the helping hand of my dear French (Québecois?) -speaking research directors. The tables have turned! Usually, I do the proof-reading in English for the group. Now I know how they feel when they have to write a publication in their second (or third!) language. It's like treading water in mud! Sooooo slow!

I don't really know when the book will be published, but it should be within the next few months. I'll keep you updated!..... What a feeling of accomplishment! Gosh, I love my work :)

Happy Birthday Lisa!

It's my sister's birthday! A very special, one, too! Not only did she change decades, but both my parents happened to be in town, so we celebrated as a complete nuclear family of 4 plus Lisa's boyfriend, James. To prove it, the Tam Fam took a nice family photo by the xmas tree of the lobby of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, courtesy of James and his suave photography skills.

Happy birthday, Lisa!

A Dream Come True!

Have you ever experienced a moment when something you've dreamed about for years and years (say, 14 years) comes true in real life? Well, this happened to me! The feeling is indescribable, like walking on air or soaring in the skies. It was also quite unexpected, making the experience quite overwhelming!

I did it! I sang jazz in a bar! (well, bistro to be exact).

I had promised to go see François, the guitarist from my improv course, perform at this place that just opened called le Parc des Princes. It's an adorable lounge-like place that just opened in November and supports local artists (musicians, actors, poets?, etc.) by providing a suitable venue for evening get-togethers. The owner, Fred, is so sympa and I support his mission here so, to you friends in Montreal, go check the place out!

Despite the fact that I was zonked from the concert after-party from the night before and that none my friends could come with me, I went to support my cutie guitartist. François and his impressive little swing band was absolutely amazing! It brought me back to the movie Swing Kids, which was my fave movie for years in a row when I was a teen.

At about midnight, jam session hour rolled up. Peer pressure and a few beers in my tummy convinced me to go up to sing a standard or two. They hooked up a mike, and shortly after I had my brief moments of elation! Wowee...... I was high from the show for hours afterwards!

Not only did I get to perform, but as a bonus I met the most wonderful people there! Everyone seemed to already know eachother already, making me somewhat of an outsider when I walked in, but in no time I felt part of the family. Much to my flattery, I was invited by Fred, the bistro owner, to come sing again on Thursdays come January. Even more to my flattery, François, Denis (François' guitar teacher and wonderful guy!), and Axel (super-amazingly talented guitarist and just as super-sweet!) all showed their support by encouraging me to jam with them again! A great bunch of guys :)

The fun part is, though I was unaware at the time, there was a photographer there recording this moment of history so that I could never forget it. What I mean is, it was the opening jazz soirée for the bar, too, so a very special event for everyone. The pics above were downloaded from the bistro website (from left to right : François, Axel, Denis, and yours truly).

Thank you to everyone involved who helped make my dream come true!

In the Groove!

Yet another concert! Yes, December was wonderfully music filled!

This show that we, La Horde Vocale, put on was actually labelled an "open rehearsal" rather than a concert. This is to cover up the fact that we still hadn't memorized our music and needed our binders... Hahahahah! Well friends and family (thanks Odie, Mom, Lisa, and Rachel!) were the best audience we could ask for! Warm, friendly and receptive. They even demanded an encore!

Click on the pic below to see more amusing photos!

Oh, this evening was soooooo much fun! Not only was it free, but the vocalists had pulled together a buffet table for the guests. I believe that the food was, in the view of some, the highlight of the evening! Yes that's right - nachos, tuna dip, asparagus rolls, salmon delicacies, haystacks, fruit plates were all the rage thanks to the multi-talented singers (i.e. they can cook, too!).


Click above to see the FULL 44 MIN VIDEO of the entire show.

If you just want to see shorter clips of certain songs, or if you're curious about the details of who we are, then please visit our website!

Let's get jazzy!

A short 24 hours after the last concert, I was at it again!

It's December 10th, a Sunday evening, and we, the students of our jazz improvisation course (taught by the immensely talented Jacques Carrier), finally had the oppportunity to show off what we learned! Sadly, our third singer (Carole) was ill and couldn't show up, but Rachel and I went on with the show! We were accompanied by the most wonderful and talented boys François (guitar) and Clément (bass) and Jacques himself (drums).

(Hear more quick clips here and here)

My Mom was nice enough to record some clips of this concert on my dinky little camera so that the rest of the world can enjoy the show! The sound quality is crap but you get the idea. Only about 25 people actually showed up for the concert, 6 of them my own supporters! Thanks sooooo much to Mom, Odette, Stefka, Jean-François, Louise-Isabelle, and Johannie! You guys are the best cheering squad ever!

Sing, sing, sing!

Once the music starts, it doesn't stop!

December 9th, we, the Choeur en Jazz Montréal, showed off our stuff at our first concert of the season, as well as our first concert with our new and super-talented director, Phillippe Bourque. It was an absolute blast! We had a ever-so-gifted trio of musicians accompanying us and the magic was made! I love this group. Though I'm the youngest (apart from the director, whose two years my junior!), I've always been treated like a family member from the others. There's just something special about being in a group with a bunch of music-lovers. Good job, guys, for a great show! Je suis fière de vous!

And a great big thanks to my supporters Mom, Geneviève, and Mourad for coming out tonight!

Music saves lives

The first concert of the season! Hoorah!

Somewhere along the way, I forgot to mention that I joined, since very late September, a new and wonderful a cappella group, which we call La Horde Vocale. Let me tell you the story...

So, I was actually at a rehearsal for my other vocal group, the Choeur en Jazz Montréal when people started buzzing about an ad they saw in the Voir (a local, free entertainment paper) for a vocal jazz group that was seeking singers. There were jokes (??) about the "competition" in Montreal and such. All the same I was intrigued and ended up asking for the contact number. I finally got the nerve to phone (I don't particularly like talking on the phone, especially in French), and asked warily what this group was about (the ad was a suspicious two-liner). I particularly took note that the director, Jean-François Julien, said that there were no auditions when I inquired. My warning bells went off but I agreed to come to a trial evening.

I got there, and faced about 10 other kids more or less my age, who greeted me with such warmth and kindness! I was impressed at how our voices balanced together (music to my ears!) and was even more impressed by the arrangements (original, technically challenging and witty arrangements composed by JF himself!). It was a fabulous moment! I was sold!

So on the evening of December 7th, we had our first public appearance as a vocal group. We sang at a soirée for volunteers of the Suicide Action Montreal, an organization for which Christian, one of our bass singers, is generously working for. The concert actually took place at the brewery, so we watched beer bottles go by on the conveyor belt on the other side of a window! Hilarious! Unfortunately, people were quite noisy and didn't care overly much for the entertainment, but this was great for us as it toughened us up. We were fabulous!

La neige est arrivée!

It finally snowed! For those of you who live in warm climates, here is what the first snowfall of the season looks like!



This video shows the view from my condo living room, looking up into the sky (I didn't want to film the neighbours' windows).

I tell you, I'm damned relieved to see finally see this white stuff falling! Not only is it beautiful when it first covers the ground, but more importantly, I was beginning to think winter would never come! A great concern for anyone who is environmentally aware. We crapped on Mother Nature and now she's screwing with us, and that bothers me a great deal.

Anyhoo, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!